Slavery in Eurasia
Slavery in Eurasia has been a longstanding economic and social practice that dates back millennia, long before the Eurasian Empire was founded or before the Laurentine Republic first stood. While it existed in a traditional, literal form for many years, the practice of "slavery" was banned in the Eurasian Empire following the Council of Nova Tridentina in 1869. However, the practice of indefinite indentured servitude persists. Indentured servitude is entirely legal, with contracts being bought and sold frequently between owners. Often, contracts are established for ninety-nine years at a minimum, though the holder of a contract may choose to end it prematurely and "free" the contracted. Indentured servants are generally foreigners, or non-citizens from the colonial provinces. Eurasians convicted of severe crimes can be sold into indentured servitude if the crime is great enough, but this requires the stripping of Eurasian citizenship and is exceptionally rare, usually granted in cases of treason or heresy. Modern analysts have stated that, in effect, the practice of slavery was merely renamed and is alive and well. Indentured servants are not required to be paid any compensation for their work, by imperial law, and as such are an exceptionally lucrative enterprise. Many large corporations, the most famous being Misriah Armories, use indentured servants in many of their factories in the distant provinces, and rely on Eurasian citizens for more skilled, craftsmanship-like work and engineering. Furthermore, many of the Eurasian ministries hold contracts for unskilled labor, such as groundskeeping and gardening. The Imperial Household owns several thousand contracts, some of whom work as landscapers for the vast imperial properties, and others of whom work on imperial-owned orchards and vineyards. Many wealthy Eurasians, especially the Patrician Houses of Eurasia, use indentured servants to farm their large agrarian enterprises, a practice which has evolved from the ancient slaveholding practices of the Laurentine Republic and early Empire. Imperial law prohibits the killing of another Eurasian's indentured servant, as this is viewed as a grievous form of property damage and is highly taboo. Further, extreme mistreatment of an indentured servant is generally prohibited, but is usually only punished with heavy fines and rarely prison time. Indentured servants, or more specifically their contracts, are treated as the property of whomever holds them, and are not necessarily considered human beings. The sale and trade of indentured servants is large section of the Eurasian economy, with some analysts stating it makes up upwards of 5% of the total economy. The Julium Contract Exposition is the largest "contract auction" in Eurasia, being held in September annually and being one of the most economically productive events in all Eurasia. The Ministry of the Treasury collects taxes on the sale of each contract, generally around 12% of the total price of the contract but for large purchases of many contracts being around 8% of the total sum, and in this way reaps huge amounts of revenue. The sales of contracts also provide international economic growth, as many foreigners take advantage of Eurasian law to purchase contracts at low prices, sometimes as low as the domestic price. Wealthy nobles and politicians from foederatii countries such as Marquette and Duresia often travel to Eurasia to purchase servants. The Marquettien Government, in particular, often purchases thousands of contracts from Eurasian corporations and sellers for use in internal domestic infrastructure projects, a practice which has existed for decades.